Georgian Court president Sister Rosemary to retire

Sr. Rosemary Jeffries is set to end her 14 year term as president at Georgian Court University in Lakewood.
STAFF VIDEO BY THOMAS P. COSTELLO

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Rosemary Jeffries, Pres of Georgian Court University, in front of the "Mansion" on the university grounds. She is set to retire next June- October 14, 2014 Lakewood, NJ. Staff photographer/Bob Bielk/Asbury Park Press(Photo: Bob Bielk/Asbury Park Press)Buy Photo

LAKEWOOD – Sister Rosemary Jeffries is no miracle worker, but don't tell that to the faithful of Georgian Court University.

When the 65-year-old sister took over the presidency of the former all-women's institution in 2001, its future seemed dim.

Buildings were in serious need of repair or replacement and Georgian Court was a long way from its aim of achieving university status.

"Georgian Court was very, very different when I was there," said Keri Carlton, a chemist, alumni board member and 1999 graduate of the school.

Georgian Court has been transformed on Jeffries's watch. Not only has it achieved university status, it has gone co-educational; there are now men's dormitories and men's sports teams — changes that helped spur a 46 percent increase in applications.

Further, a multimillion-dollar expansion has brought new residence halls, a library, a student center, and a nationally-recognized wellness center.

But transformations are nothing new to Jeffries, who plans to retire as university president in June. A search committee is winnowing a list of candidates. It hopes to name a replacement by March.

The next president will follow a no-nonsense administrator who balances tenacity with empathy. Jeffries has spent her 48 years as a sister not behind the walls of a cloister, but by following seemingly disparate paths: majoring in art history as an undergraduate; receiving a doctorate in sociology; helping to install water wells overseas and working in public relations.

The dissimilar choices proved to be perfect qualifying points for the job at Georgian Court, which she approached with reverence and a sense of providence, she said.

"As a religious sister, I don't do things lightly," Jeffries said. "I felt a certain sense of calling. I knew this was the place for me."

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Rosemary Jeffries, Pres of Georgian Court University, in front of the Wellness Center on the university grounds. She is set to retire next June- October 14, 2014 Lakewood, NJ. Staff photographer/Bob Bielk/Asbury Park Press(Photo: Bob Bielk/Asbury Park Press)

But before she could become a sister, Jeffries said she had to convince her parents.

"My mother saw it as an austere way of life," said Jeffries, a native of Ocean City. "My parents were not too pleased with my decision."

Growing up, becoming a nun was always an "option" that sisters in the Catholic schools she attended always "suggested" to girls, Jeffries said with a laugh.

Jeffries did not take the proddings seriously until she entered high school. With older eyes, she felt something shift inside of her, as the sisters who served as her teachers took an active interest in her life.

The interactions allowed Jeffries to see beyond the stereotype of serious women hiding behind habits, she said. Instead, she recognized the sisters as joyful counselors who believed in her and who challenged her to do things she did not think she could accomplish, such as teaching chemistry to others as a teenager.

"It changed my life," said Jeffries of choosing to become a sister. "Everything I have done since then has been shaped by my decision."

Jeffries stuck with her convictions, even as her parents — particularly her mother — disapproved of her decision. But by the time she took her vows, her mother had come around.

"She began to see that becoming a sister is something to be celebrated," said Jeffries. She knew that her mother's heart had shifted, even though she did not verbally acknowledge it. "My mother wasn't built that way."

Jeffries chose to become a member of the Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic religious institute, such as Jesuits or Franciscans.

Jeffries said she was attracted to the Sisters of Mercy because it specializes in actively seeking social justice on issues such as the rights of poor women and children; climate change; and for the rights of immigrants.

"We talk a lot about issues that are affecting our global community, the disenfranchised and the marginalized," Jeffries said. "We resolve to be good today but better tomorrow."

Measured simply by raw numbers, fewer women have made the same calculation as Jeffries: the number of Sisters of Mercy of the Americas — with five American and one Latin American province — plummeted from nearly 13,000 in 1970 to about 3,400 in 2014, according to Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.

Overall, in 2009, there were more nuns over the age of 90 than there were under the age of 60, according to a study by the center.

Catholic mission

It was the Catholic institute's mission — and belief in assisting poor women and children to have better access to education, jobs and medical care — that eventually led Jeffries to Georgian Court, which was founded by the Sisters of Mercy. It also spurred her groundbreaking decision to admit men.

"I wanted to strengthen the opportunity for students to receive an education in the Mercy tradition," said Jeffries.

As she worked as Georgian Court's president during the 2000s, Jeffries said she learned of an ominous trend: the percentage of women willing to attend a female-only college was down to less than 10 percent.

"If you want to attract better students, that's too small of a pool," said Jeffries.

Today, the more diverse student body helps expose a larger group of people to the order's teachings, said Moya Dittmeier, executive director of the Conference for Mercy Higher Education.

"It's been a perfect, perfect way to point to a Mercy commitment to values," said Dittmeier, "(Jeffries) has always been so committed to our values."

The decision to go fully co-educational may have also helped Georgian Court stave off a further enrollment decline: it had over 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students in 2014, down from a peak of about 3,100 students immediately before the 2008 recession. In 2001, the year Jeffries began, the school had approximately 2,400 students.

"It will be difficult to match those enrollment numbers for some time," said Jeffries of the enrollment peak, when pockets in the region were flusher because of the economy and superstorm Sandy had not yet devastated many families.

Georgian Court has also fought back from financial difficulty. During the 2011-12 school year, over 50 positions were eliminated and five academic undergraduate and graduate programs were suspended, according to university documents.

"There were a lot of people who were not happy with the decisions that she made," said John Seazholtz, vice chair of Georgian Court's Board of Trustees. "It's not easy to look someone in the eye and tell them that what they have worked on for much of their life is coming to an end. The decisions were difficult, but she made them and carried them through."

In recent years, Georgian Court also had to do battle in court with the Lakewood Planning Board, which rejected several of its expansion proposals, for various legal reasons.

While Lakewood's population is heavily trending Orthodox, the school also services the township's large community of senior citizens in several age-restricted developments and a sizable Latino community, Jeffries said. Orthodox women are also no strangers inside Georgian Court classrooms, she said.

Rabbi Aaron Kotler, president and chief executive officer of Beth Medrash Govoha, a large yeshiva located adjacent to Georgian Court, said Jeffries has been a great community leader in Lakewood and in New Jersey.

"She's been a very effective voice for higher education in New Jersey," Kotler said. "I think everyone in higher education is sad to see her go."

No-nonsense style

During a recent meeting on campus, Jeffries engaged easily with student leaders who were seated at a long table in a campus building. Jeffries leaned in when each student spoke. She imparted plenty of advice on how students could affect change, whether the topic was cafeteria cuisine or lighting and security on campus.

"It's going to be so different to no longer have you with us," Lindsay Taft, one of the students, told Jeffries.

Jeffries said she stayed longer than planned at Georgian Court so there would be continuity as the school transformed into a co-educational institution and completed construction and funding projects.

During Jeffries' first five years at the helm, Georgian Court spent approximately $28 million on new construction and renovations to the historic campus, which is set on the grounds of an opulent estate originally built by George Jay Gould, a financier who was the son of railroad baron Jay Gould.

Work included the Dorothy Marron University Community Chapel, the St. Catherine Residence Hall for students, the Mercy Residence Hall for visiting faculty and sisters and the Audrey Birish George Science Center.

Carlton, from the alumni board, said the campus is radically different from when she matriculated. But not everything is different. "There has been a lot of construction, but it has not overwhelmed the history and the beauty of the old buildings," Carlton said.

Seazholtz, who also chairs the search committee for Jeffries' successor, said a successful candidate will demonstrate a commitment to the Mercy values of compassion and social justice and a proven track record of fundraising prowess. Those who are not sisters will also be considered, he said.

"We're casting the net as wide as possible," said Seazholtz, a former chief technology officer for Verizon.

Because of Mercy's commitment to affordable education, fundraising will remain a priority for whomever is at the helm. While 2014 tuition and fees hover around $31,000 — plus $10,596 in room and board costs for those who remain on campus — the school also offers generous financial aid to many students, with packages averaging nearly $28,000, Seazholtz said.

"Increasingly, raising money is becoming an ever larger part of a president's job, no matter where you look," said Seazholtz, who also sits on New Jersey Institute of Technology's board of overseers.

Georgian Court had a $46.5 million endowment in 2013, according to university documents. In 1998, that figure was approximately $26.4 million.

"Frankly, it's the gift, not the garb," Galligan-Stierle said. "Individuals who answer the calling to lead a Catholic college or university – whether religious or lay – bring with them unique gifts that equip them to lead and to celebrate the Catholic mission of the institution."

Seazholtz said the search committee has whittled down Jeffries' successor to four finalists. It hopes to host the finalists on campus this month and to select a successor by March.

"Finding someone to succeed Sister (Rosemary) will not be an easy task," Seazholtz said.

Once she retires, Jeffries plans to devote herself more fully to painting — a passion of her father's, whom she remembers as being reserved and contemplative.

Rather than read books to Jeffries and her brother, her father would gather his two children and paint them pictures.

"He inspired me," said Jeffries, who has two of her own paintings hanging in her office.

She remains faithful to her father's quiet ways. Jeffries said she begins each day with at least 45 minutes of silence and solitude, when she reflects on her life and what lies ahead.

"The lack of reflection is a challenge in our current world," Jeffries said. "Some find it impossible."

Early on in her tenure as Georgian Court's president, Jeffries said she learned the value of a slower pace when she was handed the keys to her very own golf cart.

At first, Jeffries said the thought of zipping around the Catholic school's campus in a cart gave her pause. Should the head of a college really be seen cruising around in a vehicle of leisure?

But she soon came to embrace her golf cart, she said. Rather than being hidden behind a pane of tinted glass while inside a car, Jeffries believes that the cart allowed her to become a visible part of the campus. She believes students and faculty found her more approachable as a result, engaging her in conversations that otherwise might not have occurred.

As she prepares for life without a golf cart, Jeffries hopes that the results of her life's conversations and accomplishments has helped other women lead better, more productive lives.